Gregg Wallace has spoken out for the first time since MasterChef revealed its new all-female presenting duo. The former greengrocer, 60, was axed from the BBC show earlier this year following an investigation that upheld 45 of 83 allegations of inappropriate behaviour. Taking to Instagram hours after the announcement of Grace Dent and Anna Haugh as his replacements, Wallace posted a video urging his followers to plan their meals for better health.
In the video, Wallace, wearing a black Nike vest, said, "So many people wait until they're hungry before they decide what it is they're going to eat, so they end up grabbing at stuff with disastrous consequences for your health and it's expensive." He added that he also hosts live TikTok sessions at 7am and 7pm for dietary advice. The post came just months after Wallace was removed from the cooking show after 21 years alongside John Torode.
The father-of-three previously insisted he is "not a groper, a sex pest or a flasher" in an interview with The Sun, apologising for any offence caused: "I know I have said things that offended people... I understand that now - and to anyone I have hurt, I am so sorry." The report into his conduct was commissioned by Banijay UK, the production company behind MasterChef.
Wallace's replacement, Grace Dent, a restaurant critic and former I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! star, has already filmed a full series of Celebrity MasterChef with John Torode, though the BBC has not yet set an air date. It is expected to air in the November slot usually occupied by MasterChef: The Professionals.
John Torode was also dismissed shortly after Wallace, following an upheld complaint about his use of racist language. Torode said he had "absolutely no recollection" of the alleged incident and emphasised that "racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment."
